Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation

## About the opportunity The Rufford Foundation is a UK-registered charity that has supported thousands of young conservationists' research into threatened habitats and species. Its Small Grants programme is a well-known entry point for early-career conservation researchers working in developing and emerging economies, including Uganda.

## What it offers The Foundation provides a staged funding process of four grants: the 1st Rufford Small Grant (up to £7,000), the 2nd Rufford Small Grant (up to £8,000), the Booster Grant (up to £12,000), and the Completion Grant (up to £18,000, after which no further funding is available). Grants are paid to an organisation (such as a conservation NGO or university) that accepts and manages the funds on the applicant's behalf, not to an individual's bank account. The Foundation funds fieldwork costs and small-scale or pilot projects with direct conservation benefit.

## Eligibility - Early stages of a conservation career — priority to those doing an MSc, PhD or equivalent, or who graduated within the past three years - Projects must have a nature-conservation focus (species, threatened habitats, human-wildlife conflict, community education) and take place in an eligible country; Uganda is an eligible developing economy - Small-scale or pilot projects; pure research with no conservation benefit, expeditions, conference attendance and book publishing are excluded - Only one application per 12-month period

## How to apply Applications are accepted only through the online system at apply.ruffordsmallgrants.org, where you create an account, build a Personal Profile, and complete the application form. There are no deadlines — you can apply at any time of year. Applications require three references (including one from your supervisor if you are studying or recently graduated), and are reviewed in a two-stage process by the Foundation office and external experts.